MauiTime Best of Maui 2010: Best County Official on Maui: Gladys Baisa

Gladys Baisa
For years, this category has been the sole possession of Councilmember Jo Anne Johnson, who’s leaving the council because of term limits. Now, MauiTime readers have spoken, and Johnson’s heir apparent has emerged: Councilmember Gladys Baisa. Whether Baisa will have a run like Johnson’s (on the council or in BOM voting) remains to be seen, but for now it’s clear her Pukalani-Kula-Ulapalakua constituents, and voters islandwide, have warmed to her generally friendly, amenable demeanor. Baisa’s known as a peacemaker, a role she gets to play frequently on a council with some big, competing personalities. Even a mini-scandal involving a tax exemption claim on a home outside her district wasn’t enough to shake readers’ belief that Gladys is one of the white hats in county government. @jacobshaferRunner-Up: Jo Anne Johnson